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By Tom Sloper
July 10, 2016 Column #655 |
American Mah Jongg (2016 NMJL card). Defense.
1. Just one possible hand: 369 #5. Threes, sixes, and nines in the other two suits are hot. Sixes are key. "Key?" You can see column 607 for a full explanation, but short version: if you can see three or more sixes of one suit exposed on the table (in discards or exposures), then one of her possible hands is dead so she can only do the other, and you have fewer hot tiles to worry about. For example, if 6B is dead on the table, then you know the hand can only be made with craks. If both 6B and 6C are dead, then you can call her dead. If you have three 6Bs or 6Cs in your concealed hand, you can't call her dead, but you are in possession of crucial information (as well as crucial tiles, as far as she's concerned).
2. Two possibilities: Consec. #2 and #5. Eights and nines in the other suits are hot, as are sixes and sevens; essentially, there are four ways she could go. Sixes and sevens are key; for example, if 6C is dead, you can stop worrying about one of the four ways.
3. Two possibilities: Consec. #2 and #5 (as above). Hot: 5C, 7C, 7D, 9D, 6B, 7B; bams are key. If either 6B or 7B goes dead, you can forget about Consec. #5 and focus your defensive strategy on the two ways she could make Consec. #2 (6,7,8,9 or 5,6,7,8). 
4. One hand: 369 #5. Hot tiles are 3C 6C 6B. 6C is key.
5. Obviously W-D #2, but one problem: it's a concealed hand, so you should call her dead.
6. Consec. #5. Hot tiles are 7B 7C 8C. Craks are key; if 7C or 8C go dead, she's dead, and you can say so.
7. Evens #1. Hot tiles are 2C 4C and 6C. 2C and 4C are key tiles.
8. Consec. #4. Hot tiles are sixes and eights in the other two suits. No keys.
9. Two hands: Consec. #1 and Odds #1. Hot tiles are 1D 3D 5D 6D 8D. 1D and 3D and 5D are all key tiles.
10. Three possibilities: Odds #1, Odds #2, and Consec. #4. Hot tiles are 1B 3B 9B for Odds #1, sevens and nines in the other suits for Odds #2, and sixes and dragons in the other suits for Consec. #4. Keys: 1B 3B.
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and the discussion will be posted on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board. Hit me with your best shot! Like this...
>From: Daphne S
>Sent: Monday, July 11, 2016 9:33 AM
>Subject: Column#655
>Hello Tom-
>Re Column #655- Item 3. Couldn't another possibility be Evens #4?
>Daphne
Quite right, Daphne. Can you take it to the next step and tell us what the hot tiles are? Any new key tiles that could help the defense?
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the weekly Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, CA, USA
7/11, 2016
>From: Daphne S
>Sent: Monday, July 11, 2016 10:57 AM
>Subject: Re: Column#655
>Hi Tom-
>Hot tiles would be 2 Bam and 4 Bam.
>Thank you for everything you do!
>Daphne
Not only are those hot tiles, they’re key tiles! If either 2B or 4B is dead on the table, you can forget about Evens and focus your defense on the other possible hands. If they aren't dead, 4C is also a hot tile.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the weekly Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, CA, USA
7/11, 2016
>From: Beth P
>Sent: Friday, July 15, 2016 3:32 PM
>Subject: column #655
>Tom: Column #655 Item 10. Another possibility is odds number 6. Hot tiles 1,3 in dots or craks and 9 in dots or craks with 1 and 3 as key tiles. Beth
Very good, Beth! A tip o' the hat to you. If any of those ones or threes go dead, then you have one less possibility to worry about.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the Sloper On Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
July 15, 2016
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